UPDATE - Blinken speaks with Qatari, Egyptian foreign ministers on eve of Gaza cease-fire talks

ADDS US READOUT

By Ibrahim Khazen

DOHA, Qatar (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone Wednesday with his Qatari and Egyptian counterparts on the eve of a new round of Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations.

Discussions between Blinken and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani took up Palestinian developments, “joint mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza, the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, and the emphasis on the need for calm and de-escalation in the region,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the US readout of the call, Blinken and his Qatari counterpart "stated no party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal.”

"They also reaffirmed the joint leaders’ statement by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The Secretary thanked the Prime Minister for Qatar’s critical role in working towards lasting peace in the region," the statement added.

The top US diplomat also discussed with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty “the key efforts being made to contain the ongoing escalation in the region and to work towards reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Abdelatty emphasized “the necessity and urgency of reaching an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire in Gaza, ensuring full access to humanitarian aid, and positively engaging with the Egyptian, Qatari and American mediation efforts.”

He stressed the importance of “serious and genuine political will in the cease-fire negotiations, as it is the only way to halt the escalation in the region and prevent attempts to expand the conflict.”

The US State Department said Blinken thanked Abdelatty for Egypt’s "crucial efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza through a deal that would secure the release of hostages, surge humanitarian assistance, and unlock the possibility of broader regional stability.”

They also agreed to continue their close coordination on ending the Sudan conflict, and Blinken called for both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to participate in peace talks in Geneva, the State Department said.

Hamas said Wednesday that it would join the upcoming Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap talks if it gets a clear commitment from Israel regarding the implementation of a US President Joe Biden-backed proposal.

Last May, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, Hamas leader Suhail Hindi said the resistance group has requested a “clear commitment from Israel regarding what was agreed upon on July 2 (based on the Biden-backed proposal).”

“If this happens, Hamas is ready to engage in the implementation mechanisms of the agreement,” he added.

Indirect talks mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire and a hostage-prisoner swap over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to accept Hamas’s demand to end the war on Gaza.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 92,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than ten months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and ordered a halt to its military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge before the city was invaded on May 6.